You are here

An innovative Rhondda Cynon Taff recycling charity and social enterprise which is “committed to changing lives” has been recognised at this year’s Social Business Wales Awards.

TooGoodtoWaste, which reduces waste to landfill by re-using and recycling household items, received a prestigious accolade at the awards ceremony in Cardiff’s City Hall on Wednesday night.

The evening, delivered by Social Business Wales, brought together over 220 of Wales’s leading figures from the social business sector, to celebrate the positive impact that social enterprises, co-operatives, and employee-owned businesses are having across Wales.

During the night, hosted by Welsh TV star and tenor Wynne Evans, TooGoodToWaste was presented with the Consumer Facing Award, by category sponsor Cowshed, thanks to its socially responsible approach to tackling poverty and creating volunteering opportunities.

The charity offers a free household goods re-use and redistribution service, where items are collected for free and then re-sold via its shops. All the money raised enables the charity to help low income households, and supports its mission to alleviate the effects of poverty by providing access to affordable furniture.

Alongside this, TooGoodToWaste also acts as a social enterprise providing meaningful volunteering opportunities to people across south Wales, allowing them to gain valuable work and social skills.

Other notable winners on the night included Splash Community Trust, a Wrexham-based leisure facility, Natural Weigh, a Crickhowell zero-waste shop, and Skye Instruments, a Llandrindod Wells environmental instrument manufacturer and designer.

Derek Walker, Wales Co-operative Centre CEO, said he was “delighted with the calibre of the entrants this year”.

He said: “A lot of the categories were very competitive and judges had a challenge choosing the winners. The social impact made by these businesses is outstanding. We wish the winners the best of luck going forwards to the UK awards and hope their success will inspire future social entrepreneurs.”

The winners will now go forward to compete with their counterparts from Scotland, England and Northern Ireland at a UK Awards ceremony being held in central London in November.

The Social Business Wales Awards are run as part of Social Business Wales, a project funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Welsh Government as part of the Business Wales service. It is delivered by the Wales Co-operative Centre.

For more information on the Social Business Wales Awards and the Wales Co-operative Centre, and all the winners, please visit https://wales.coop/